Digital photos piling up

The average U.S. household has almost 1,000 digital photos stored on CDs, DVDs, Web sites and hard drives, according to a Photo Marketing Association survey of digital camera owners in 2006 that was published Monday.

The total per household was 994 images, the association said--about three or four years' worth of pictures. CDs and DVDs were the most widely used storage method, with 632 images per household on average; hard drives were next at 626. Web sites housed 230 photos on average.

As archiving photos and such in digital form is increasing, storage companies are trying to entice customers to buy external drives and other backup products. Online services, often charging an annual subscription fee, also are a newer option for backup.